O.C. froyo chain switches to self-serve

May 2, 2012

Updated Dec. 9, 2013 10:55 a.m.

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Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, a pioneer in the froyo industry, is overhauling stores. The O.C. chain is switching to a self-serve program where customers pay upfront. Stores are also being remodeled. Keep clicking to see how shops are changing. TEXT BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTOS BY NANCY LUNA & GOLDEN SPOON

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Hit hard by rivals like Yogurtland and Cherry on Top, Golden Spoon is switching to a self-serve program. Customers can customize their orders for one price per cup. This cup costs $4. Other prices: $3 and $5. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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At remodeled Golden Spoon stores, a hostess greets customers as they walk in. Customers pay first – whether they choose self-serve or full-service. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Once you pay, you're free to pour your own froyo from the self-serve stations. Golden Spoon will start to remodel stores to this new look over the next several months. Two stores in the San Diego area have already been remodeled. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The new Golden Spoon prices: $3, $4 or $5. Once you pay, you're free to pour as much froyo into your cup that fits, along with endless fruit and candy toppings. Golden Spoon is calling the new strategy: Weightless Pricing. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Carlsbad store offered 16 flavors. You can pour as much as you want into your pre-paid cup. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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New stores are outfitted with a topping bar "island" in the middle of the store. Customers can add as many toppings as they want under the new "weightless" pricing program. TEXT BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTO COURTESY GOLDEN SPOON

At a remodeled store in Carlsbad, a hostess greets customers as they walk in. Digital menu boards display sizes, prices and nutritional information. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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This mini cup with one topping would normally cost $2.50 at the Golden Spoon store in Orange. Under the new weightless pricing system, this cup costs $3. But you can put as many topping on it as you want at no extra cost. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, a pioneer in the froyo industry, is overhauling stores. The O.C. chain is switching to a self-serve program where customers pay upfront. Stores are also being remodeled. Keep clicking to see how shops are changing. TEXT BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTOS BY NANCY LUNA & GOLDEN SPOON

Live from Chicago: Register food blogger Nancy Luna is attending the restaurant industry's biggest conference in Chicago May 5-8. She'll be reporting on the latest industry trends as she meets chain innovators and celebrity chefs. Catch her live updates on her Fast Food Maven blog and on her social pages: Facebook and Twitter.

After acquiring the Rancho Santa Margarita-based froyo chain a year ago, Clawson began researching how to reboot the company. Over and over, he said he heard the same story from families: Moms love Golden Spoon's creamy soft-serve froyo, but their kids prefer the fun do-it-yourself experience of rival froyo shops.

To win back those lost customers, Golden Spoon plans to introduce a self-serve model called "weightless pricing" at a bulk of the chain's 90 domestic locations. While self-serve froyo shops like Yogurtland charge customers by the ounce, Golden Spoon's self-serve model is more straightforward, Clawson said.

At Golden Spoon, customers will be able to serve their own froyo after purchasing a $3, $4 or $5 cup. Once you pay, you're free to pour as much froyo into your cup that fits, along with endless fruit and candy toppings.

"Those that have been to self-serve facilities will quickly see the value of the $3, $4 and $5 cups," Clawson said.

The new weightless pricing strategy is already in place at two Golden Spoon shops in San Diego County. The remodeled stores are outfitted with sleek black chairs and sofas, wooden floors and contemporary lighting. A third store with self-serve froyo machines is expected to open soon in Irvine.

At a remodeled store in Carlsbad, a hostess greets customers as they walk in. Digital menu boards display sizes, prices and nutritional information. Customers pay first – whether they choose self-serve or full-service. The store had 16 froyo flavors, several fruit toppings and 20 candy dispensers.

During a recent visit, most customers in the Carlsbad store chose to serve themselves.

Orange County franchisee Dan Finch said he likes the new look, and the dual service approaches.

"It is much less sterile and dated," he said. "It's got a lot more personality."

Clawson said he expects up to 40 stores to undergo makeovers by 2013. Each store remodel will cost roughly $75,000.

That's a huge investment for Finch, who operates Golden Spoon shops in Orange, Fullerton and Whittier. He said he plans to remodel his Orange store on East Chapman Avenue if he can get the financing.

"This is probably the best solution for Golden Spoon that I've seen," he said of the decor, and weightless pricing model. "It is very clever. It'll do a good job of bringing new people without alienating our core customers."

Tell us: What do you think of Golden Spoon's weightless pricing strategy?

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